[Physics] Why isn’t the electric quadrupole moment always zero

multipole-expansionnuclear-physics

We know that the electric quadrupole moment ($Q$) describes whether the nucleus of an atom is prolate ($Q<0$), oblate ($Q>0$) or spherical ($Q=0$). We also know that
$$Q=\frac{2j-1}{2(j+1)}Q_0,$$
where
\begin{align}
Q_0
&=\frac{1}{e}\int_V \rho(r)(3\cos^2\theta-1)r^2\:\mathrm dV
\\ &=\frac{1}{e}\int_0^{2\pi}\int_0^{\pi}\int_0^R\rho(r)(3\cos^2\theta-1)r^2r^2\sin\theta \:\mathrm dr\mathrm d\theta \mathrm d\phi
\end{align}
and
$$Q_0=\frac{1}{e}\int_0^{2\pi}\mathrm d\phi\int_0^r r^4\mathrm dr\int_0^\pi (3\cos^2\theta\sin\theta-\sin\theta)\:\mathrm d\theta.$$
But we also have the following:
$$\int_0^\pi (3\cos^2\theta\sin\theta-\sin\theta)\:\mathrm d\theta=0,$$
which means that $Q_0=0$ and thus $Q=0$, meaning that every atomic nucleus is spherical… What's the catch?

Best Answer

The full form of the expression for $Q_0$ is $$ Q_0=\frac{1}{e}\int_0^{2\pi}\mathrm d\phi\int_0^r r^4\mathrm dr\int_0^\pi (3\cos^2(\theta)-1)\sin(\theta)\:\rho(r,\theta,\phi)\:\mathrm d\theta. $$ If you assume that $\rho(r,\theta,\phi)$ has no angular dependence, i.e. that your nucleus is spherical, then indeed the inner integral reduces to $$ \int_0^\pi (3\cos^2(\theta)-1)\sin(\theta) \:\mathrm d\theta=0, $$ giving you $Q=0$. If you do not makes such an assumption, you cannot get rid of the $\theta$ dependence of $\rho$ in that inner integral, which can make it nonzero.

In other words, yes: spherical nuclei are spherical. Non-spherical nuclei are not.

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